At first look, “Above the Fold” appears to offer a strong drama about a reporter covering the story of three white fraternity men accused of raping an African-American woman at a Southern university. However, the play delves into much deeper issues, including the shift in journalism from print to digital, the blurring of truth to sensationalize tragedy and the cost of success.

Bernard Weinraub tapped into his previous career as a journalist to pen “Above the Fold,” which opens at the Pasadena Playhouse on Feb. 5. It is directed by Steven Robman and stars Taraji P. Henson, Arye Gross, Kris Higgins, Mark Hildreth, Kristy Johnson, Joe Masingill and Seamus Mulcahy.

Weinraub was fascinated with how the media covered the 2006 case of Crystal Gail Mangum, an African-American student at North Carolina Central University who falsely accused three white members of Duke University’s men’s lacrosse team of raping her at a party. He wanted to explore the reporting side of the story.

“I was just interested in what happens when a journalist who is ambitious goes and covers a case like that one or similar cases where there’s a certain point of view that is taken by your newspaper ... and they sometimes get into a collision. When a journalist is ambitious, it becomes even harder,” Weinraub said.

The Los Angeles playwright added that the basic story in his play has nothing to do with the Duke case.

“I really wanted to write a play about journalists. I did not want to do a sentimental play. I did not want to do a play of journalist as hero,” Weinraub said. “Some of that is a little cliche. I wanted to get beyond that.”

To achieve his goal, Weinraub spoke to reporters currently in the field about how they cover events and file stories.

“It’s certainly different than it was five or six years ago because you’re involved in not just writing the story for the newspaper,” Weinraub said. “Some reporters have to tweet or write for the Web, there’s a constant flow of information that you have to provide.”

This change in coverage leaves little time for true reporting and even less for investigative reporting, once a mainstay of newspapers, which is unfortunate, Weinraub said. He reflects some facets of this shift against the backdrop of the demise of newspapers in “Above the Fold.”

“I hope it strikes a chord in journalists and I hope it rings a bell of truth for journalists,” Weinraub said. “I think non-journalists will find the play very interesting because it gives you an insight, I hope, into the way this little world functions and the way journalists operate. Not every journalist operates the way these people do, but I hope it tells you something about journalism.”

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Weinraub is very pleased with the cast of “Above the Fold.”

“The main character is Taraji Henson and she’s pretty fabulous. As with any play and any good actor, they bring a dimension to the character that I didn’t dream of,” Weinraub said.

Henson started her acting career on the stage and went on to appear in films, such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and on television, most recently co-starring in CBS’ “Person of Interest.” In “Above the Fold” she plays Jane Wilson, a journalist who is stuck in her career and compromises herself to get ahead.

“I identify with her struggle for greatness and wanting to change the world to make it a better place through her work,” Henson said. “I identify with that through my talent. I’m really serious about what I do and I believe that through my art I can make the world a better place or change a life or touch a life.”

Henson’s greatest challenge in “Above the Fold” is the lines, as she is onstage almost the entire play. She admits that time in television has made her lazy because she reads the script, does the scene and forgets it, but this process doesn’t work in theater.

Although she also sings and dances, Henson has always wanted to be an actress.

“This is always what I wanted to do, deep down in my soul, since I was a little girl,” Henson said. “In kindergarten, I knew.”

But her dream almost died when she auditioned for a high school of performing arts and was not selected to attend. Henson started out in college studying electrical engineering, thinking it would be a financially fruitful career, but she wasn’t happy and refocused her sights on acting. The decision paid off.

Henson will be seen in three films this year. Set for spring release are “From the Rough,” the story of Catana Starks, a swim coach who became the first woman to coach a college men’s golf team, and the comedy sequel to “Think Like a Man.” “No Good Deed,” a thriller about a mother and children terrorized by a stranger they help, should hit movie theaters in the fall.